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Marion Altieri

Mare is the visionary Partner, Editor and Radio Host for Alpha Mare Media. Mare is a New York State-licensed Thoroughbred owner. Her membership in NYTHA (New York Thoroughbred Horsewoman's [-men's] Association; NYTB (New York Thoroughbred Breeders; Thoroughbred Women, Ltd. and the Saratoga Thoroughbred Club all inspire, educate and contribute to her depth of knowledge of the breed and the Sport.

Her volunteer interests are all Thoroughbred-related, of course: she should probably get a hobby off the track, but there's just no time or interest. Her mantra is, "If it don't have four legs and a mane—it ain't an athlete!"

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

How morally bankrupt must be the soul of a person who works as a killerbuyer?
Or as a member of the Montana State Legislature?

Both these groups of people are on The Alpha Mare's Hit List this week, for both play a very active role in the torture and dismemberment of equinesâ€”and in the eventual distribution of horsemeat for consumption in Europe. Apparently both sleep very well at night, also, ThankYouVeryMuch.

Let's start with the most urgent bit, the covert and tres sneaky actions of those funloving Montanans. We'll report on our jaunt straight up to the Gates of Hellâ€”a conversation with a killerbuyerâ€”tomorrow. (We, the "royal we," that is, cantered into that vast wastelandâ€¦we called said killerbuyer at home, and had a chat. The hairs of my mane are still singed from the encounter. I can still taste the sulfur on my lips. But that journey will be the subject of tomorrow night's report.)

Tonight we must get your full attention onto a very serious subjectâ€”and get you to take action. ASAP.

This week, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer will sit, pen-in-hand, and either sign or not sign a bill that passed the Montana State Legislature in late February. Right under our noses, those tricky boys in cowboy hats gathered under their big sky and created a death warrant for horses.

The details:
"The (Montana State) Senate endorsed House Bill 418, which would allow a horse slaughter facility in the predominately rural state and offer it legal protection if someone challenges legality of the plant. The bill also requires anyone contesting the construction of the plant to post a bond equal to 20% of the estimated construction cost.

How appropriate is that last name? Hollywood couldn't contrive a more perfect moniker for a politician whose pockets are lined in horseblood, than "Ed Butcher." It's oh, so, Johnny Depp-esque.

And how insane is it that, anyone who contests the construction and legality of the plant will have to post a bond equal to 20% of the estimated construction cost? That'sâ€¦Mafiosi. That'sâ€¦corrupt. That'sâ€¦RIGGED. That'sâ€¦that'sâ€¦the American way?: If you don't like the fact that they're running roughshod over the Law of the United States of Americaâ€¦they'll find a way to fine YOU for THEIR crime.

So I, The Alpha Mare, sitting here in New York, do hereby contest the construction of the slaughterhouse in Montana. Its construction is illegal on its face.

And I am hereby throwing down the gauntlet, and screaming, "GO AHEAD, BOYS. FINE ME. Charge me bond to the tune of 20% of the construction costs." (I'm Italian and Irish: I'm not afraid of bullies and lawbreakersâ€”especially if the lawbreakers are those who took oaths to defend that very Law.)

I hope that the irony here is not lost on you: the very people who took oaths to defend the Law of the United States of Americaâ€”are giving the proverbial finger to that very same Law. The USDA is not (legally) allowed to send inspectors to meat "processing" plantsâ€”read that, slaughterhousesâ€”that kill horses. Ergoâ€”there's that damned Greek logic againâ€”ergo, the meat coming from a US horse slaughterhouse, such as is proposed for Montanaâ€”is illegal meat. Cannot be sold. Cannot be consumed, anywhere.

Flying in the face of that law regarding the USDA, the Montanans passed this bill, which they intend to pass into their own law, to build a building for the express purpose of slaughtering horses and other equines.

The fact that the USDA will not send inspectors to inspect the meat does not faze them, whatsoever.

The fact that, any meat sold or distributed sans USDA stamp of approval is therefore illegal meatâ€”doesn't flutter an eyelash for them.

This bill, if passed by the single swipe of Governor Schweitzer's pen, will re-introduce horse slaughter into the United States.

We're still striving to get H.R. 503 passed (forbidding transportation out of the US for purposes of slaughter)â€”and now this comes along, seemingly out of left field.

There's no reason to believe that Governor Schweitzer won't sign the billâ€”after all, those boys in chaps (members of the Legislature, and the ranchers), write his paycheck every week. He has every reason to sign the billâ€”and not a single reason against.

Except, oh, you knowâ€”morals and the illegality of it all.

The excuses offered by the legislators for wanting a slaughterhouse built in Montana are the same old-same old: old and sick horses, etc. That the ranchers' livelihoods are threatened by the excess horses lying around. That unwanted horses are abused. Yada-yada-yada.

"If horses aren't slaughtered, where will all the unwanted horses go?
The annual number of horses slaughtered in the US dropped from over 300,000 in the 1990s to less than 66,000 in 2004, with no special infrastructure to absorb the thousands of â€śunwantedâ€ť horses that were not slaughtered. Horses are being kept longer, sold to others, humanely euthanized, or donated to retirement and rescue facilities. The â€śsurplus horse populationâ€ť is a myth."*

"Will banning horse slaughter mean more cases of horse abuse and neglect?
No. In fact, both the Hooved Animal Humane Society (HAHS) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture reported that during a year long closing of the only slaughter plant in the region due to fire, abuse cases actually decreased. California banned horse slaughter in 1998â€”since that time horse theft has dropped 34% and cruelty reports have not increased Texas, which had the only two slaughter plants in 2003, had among the nations highest rates of cruelty and theft that year. The existence of horse slaughter plants seems to be directly related to increased horse abuse and theft."**

Ah, then there's the argument put forth by the Montana politicians, themselves: that the slaughterhouse as proposed is actually good for the economy. Hmmmm. Since "the plant," as the euphemism has been tagged, is owned by a BELGIAN company: it will have no positive effect on the economy, at all.

"How will banning slaughter affect the economy?
The three existing slaughter plants are foreign owned, and pay no corporate taxes or export tariffs. The entire horse meat industry is only 0.001% the size of the U.S. meat industry, making it economically insignificant."***

Oh, yeah, and the jobs for those workers whose deadened souls slit the throats of horses in the bloodied halls of a slaughterhouse?

Yeahâ€¦they can get another job. These are not high-level jobs that require much experience or education. All you need do is learn how to blow out the brains of a horse, and not want to kill yourself for doing it.

I refuse to believe that, if a slaughterhouse isn't builtâ€”anyone's family will suffer. Follow this logic: I'm not being "cruel." This is me being utterly pragmatic:

a. The jobs weren't there in the first placeâ€”it's not that there was a slaughterhouse, then the mean old horselovers closed it up.

b. So: there WERE NO slaughterhouse jobs.

c. Ergo: no jobs were lost.

ERGO: this means, "THEREFORE": and this is basic Greek logical argumentation, folks: ergoâ€”no one lost a job, and those who would work in "the plant" can find another job that doesn't require much experience, education or spiritual content.

If I sound harsh, it's because I have absolutely Had It. I have had it with selfishness and pure, unadulterated greed that runs the slaughter industry. The condemned souls who are trying to push slaughter back into America are not doing it because they give a tiny damn about the economy, or the people who make up their constituency. Of course they don't care about the horses, we know this. But they lie through their bonded teeth when they say that they're doing it for the people they represent.

If they cared one iota for the Montanans who need jobsâ€”they'd CREATE jobs, jobs that would offer a future and some reason to live besides a paycheck. They'd take money from the General Fund, and create jobs that give people a reason to be content at the end of a hard workday, to know that they've done a good job and have contributed to society.

If the Montana politicians gave a damn about their constituentsâ€”they wouldn't pass bills that offer only jobs murdering horses, and deadening human souls. If they cared about people in their stateâ€”they wouldn't pour innocent blood all over the hands of the people whose credentials are minimal, who need low-level jobs because that's all they can do.

A slaughterhouse job isn't one of which one is proud, or that promises a future of advancement and self-esteem building. It's like being a hooker or drug dealer: no five-year-old child says, "Daddy, when I grow up, I want to slit horsies' throats and watch them exsanguinate."

In other wordsâ€”the politicians in Montana are concerned only with lining their own pockets with the money of the Belgians who will own this plant.

Think about this:

I actually care more about the people who live and work in Montana than their own Representatives.

I care more about Montana obeying the Law of the United Statesâ€”the Law that refuses to allow USDA inspectors to enter a horse slaugher plant in Montanaâ€”than cares the entire body of the State Legislature of Montana.

And that's a damned shame.

This week, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer will pick up a pen and either create something illegal, or he'll obey the Law of the United States.

The Law which he swore to uphold.

You mustâ€”I am not asking, I am saying that you mustâ€”pick up the phone first thing in the morning, and remind him that he swore before God and history to uphold and defend the Law of the United States. And that, if he signs this bill and allows the Belgians to create a slaughterhouse in Montanaâ€”he will, in a very real way, be breaking the Law of the United States. For if no meat can legally be inspected, then no meat can be sold.

And why would anyone build a slaughterhouse that cannot sell the meat? Does Governor Schweitzer really expect that the slaughterhouse will just keep murdering horses and letting the meat pile up and rot? If it moves out of the buildingâ€”it's doing so illegally.

You might want to remind him of thisâ€¦and let him know that, if he does this illegal actâ€¦we law-abiding citizens of the United States will be forced to take legal action against him, the State Legislature of Montana and the Belgians who will illegally process horsemeat.

These are the things that I'll say when I call Governor Schweitzer in the morning. If you have ever loved a horse, if you've ever made a dime working in the equine industryâ€”I am begging you to call him, too. Don't let your emotion be your guideâ€”he won't listen to this. But if we remind him of the illegality of the project and the implications thereofâ€¦we can stop this before slaughter sneaks back into our country.

Then we have "only" to concentrate on H.R. 503. Ahhhh, I had nothing else to do this week, anywayâ€¦

I have just found out that there is ONE good soul on the roster of Montana State Senators:

Sany Elmore.

He produced the attached video. PLEASE go to YouTube and watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJDcLvtS_Bc

Senator Elmore's contact information:

Potomac, Montana
(406) 244-0015

God bless Sandy Elmore--and God save America's horses from the others in Montana's government, bent on destruction. We must do all we can to support Sandy Elmore--he stands alone in his concern for the horses. Imagine what it feels like to be in his shoes! Please, contact the Governor of Montana immediately, then contact Sandy Elmore, just to let him know that you're standing side-by-side with him.

I visited the Montana website to see that the Governor has photos of his beautiful state on the website. It was more interesting to note that he includes a photo of his dog. Let the Governor know that he is responsible for all of the residents of Montana - including the horses!

If this is truly signed into law, I will personally boycott any and all products that are made, sold or come from Montana. I will also encourage anyone that I know also boycott the state. The includes any thought of ever vacationing in that state. If I see an ad for a product that I may want that comes from Montana, I will contact that company my reason for not purchasing it. That goes for any other state. I'm a horse owner and small breeder and deplore slaugher.

You covered the filth and disgust, not to mention the deception of horse slaughter so very well. I, for one, fell in love with the state of Montana the moment I laid eyes on it and have dreamed of living there. My family and I loved vacationing there. Not any more. A state that wants to slaughter horses so badly that they are willing, in effect, to deny people access to the court system--a basic right of freedom--is not a state I want to live in or visit.

I'm a Montana Horse Artist who spent the last month emailing every Montana Senator and Representative of the Montana Legislature asking them to "vote NO". I also wrote, called and emailed the Governor. Only one Senator responded to my email.

Montana "The Last Best Place" can now be called "Horse Slaughter Capitol" of the US. The Montana Legislature gave "the keys to Montana" - to A Belgian Slaughter House. They did not listen to the local voter.
Sandra Merwin

I have always wanted to visit Montana, but if they decide that a house or horrors will be added to their beautiful landscape, then I see no reason to visit.

This is beyond my comprehension how any good person can condone this evil.

If compassion is not in the legislature's nature, then what about the ecological disaster that they are welcoming with open arms?

In addition, it is against the law for US inspectors to inspect horse meat destined for human consumption. Where will the profit come from? Pet food companies in the United States won't use horse meat, because they know that no one will purchase it.

This is absolute madness and the only goal is for those unscrupulous horse breeders to have an easy disposal chute for their unwanted product.

This is evil personified and what's so sad is that it makes absolutely no sense.

I'm almost 86 and I can tell you what I told the Texas Legislature when they were thinking of legalizing horse slaughter in Texas. Horses are companion animals and working animals, but they are not food. Not to Americans. If these special interest groups would spend HALF what they've spent on the horse slaughter issue in the past 6 or 8 years, on programs to promote responsible horse ownership and assistance if people needed it (like for hay in a bad drought), that's when you'd know we are truthfully doing what is good for horses.

Those who say that horse slaughter is good for horses, well let's just say they are not the kind of people who need to be making policy decisions and laws. What backwards mentality. My dad was a terrific horseman, a veteran of World War I--he would have some precise instructions for them saying horse slaughter is good for horses!

I am a horse owner, and I have been tossing around moving to Montana, now no. Or any other State that thinks butchering a horse alive is acceptable. All about money, that these big breeders get from the Belguim Butchers. I feel bad for the honest,horse loving people of Montana.I am sorry that these dispecable people forced this upon you. Horse Slaughter is a Disgrace.

KUDOS to Sandy Elmore--thank you so much for creating that video! I'd gotten an email last night from someone, who said that you are a man, a Senator from Montana. This person identified you as the one Montana State Senator who's against 418.

I watched the video--it's sad, horrible, perfect...but I incorrectly identified you as a man from Montana. I wrote on my Facebook that "Sandy Elmore from Montana is a good man."

My sincere apologies! I'm confused now--but whether or not you're a Senator--that video you made is a gift to the horses. I'll put the link on my Facebook page again.

If this legislation is signed, I will probably forever link the names of these Legislators, particularly Butcher, and officials such as Governor Schweitzer to the phrase "morally bankrupt". I hope other Americans will do the same.

I never thought I'd see the day when abject animal abuse would be used as a convenient platform for states' rights, and certainly not at the expense of the rights of individual Americans. This is very wrong and the message is not lost on us.

Bravo, Alpha Mare! Horses are an American icon; without them, we would not be the great nation that we are today. Polls have consistently shown that 70-85% of Americans revere the horse and are strongly opposed to horse slaughter. It should come as no surprise then, that Americans don't eat horses. Nor do we want our horses slaughtered in order to satiate the appetites of wealthy overseas diners.

As a horse owner and US citizen, I sincerely hope that Governor Schweitzer vetoes Montana HB 418. It's the right thing to do.

Montana, not only have you fallen prey to the Belgians but you are taking away the rights of American citizens to fair access to the courts.

What a sad day when the rights of citizens are foregone to let Belgium turn your beautiful state into doormat. They will ignore your laws, challenge you in YOUR courts when you dare to fine them and brutalize our horses.

Of course, even if this legislation is signed into law, they cannot operate the plant legally in the US. Federal Law always trumps state law no matter what was written in the state bill.

Governor Schweitzer, please let Americans know that you know what our constitution stands for by Vetoing this bill. Don't let the Belgians get their dirty claws into your state because you will never be able to get rid of them.

I raise beef cattle and own horses, and am well aware of the slaughter process. Anyone that is familiar with the psychology/behavior and Anatomy and physiology of a horse would KNOW that the method used to slaughter horses is inhumane.
MT is known for its horses, dude ranches and natural beauty. How can the state consider something as vile as a horse slaughter plant. I can see the tourism brochures now--"Montana, the Horse Slaughter State"
"Come to our dude ranches and ride our horses. Hope they behave, because if they don't, it off to the slaughter plant."

Does MT really believe that a horse slaughter plant will provide jobs for it residents? Who would want to butcher horses all day? This is evident by the large turnover of the employees at the horse salughter plants that used to operate in the US--never mind the unusually high incidence of injuries. Maybe jobs for foreigners-legal and otherwise. The plants won't even be owned by US citizens!
Horses are a symbol of MT. The new symbol will be a horse hanging by its hind leg with its throat slit!!!!
WAKE-UP, MONTANA

I am trying to hold on to my faith in humanity but it is getting harder everyday. But I look in the eyes of my horses and know that I must keep fighting for them.
It's a shame that the Montana legislators turned a deaf ear to what former Mayor Bacon had to say. She lived it here in Texas. Now Montano will know why we closed the slaughter houses here. My God forgive them because I cannot.

I hope that Governor Schweitzer thinks long and hard about this before he makes a decision. The vast majority of Americans polled opposed horse slaughter. Horses are not raised for food in this country. Many of the "unwanted" horses that end up in kill pens in the US and kill chutes in Canada and Mexico have either been stolen or their owners have been lied to - told that their horses were going to "good homes". Most of the slaughtered horses are young and in good flesh, not old, sick, lame, or useless as many would have us believe. The slaughterhouses don't want sick, skinny horses. Their meat won't fetch as much.

The argument that slaughter is humane euthanasia is ridiculous. How humane is it to pierce a horse's skull with a bolt to render it unconscious (but NOT kill it), then slit it's throat while it's still alive to bleed it out? Doesn't sound humane to me. According to the USDA's regulations ALL animals must be alive when bled out in order for their meat to be sold for human consumption. If you don't believe me, check for yourselves.

As far as providing jobs in MT, who exactly do you think wants to work in these places? Not the pillars of society. And the plants would be owned by foreign interests. Exactly how would that help the economy in MT? They found a way not to pay income taxes in IL and TX. Horse slaughter is a dirty, dishonest, business and one that the vast majority of the American public does not want back in operation.

The way to stop the problem of what to do with the excess horses is to stop breeding so many. Breed associations need to fund retirement, retraining and euthanasia programs. Horse owners need to be responsible. I am speaking as a horse owner of long standing. To say that slaughter is the only option for horses that are no longer useful or wanted is reprehensible.

My family has vacationed in Montana for several summers now and we were seriously considering buying property there soon so we could eventually retire there and bring our horses. If this bill passes we'll never go to Montana again.

I have a friend in Texas who vacations in Montana with his wife every summer; they rent a home there and are thinking of buying land and moving there someday. It also happens that their hearts melt at the mere mention of defenseless animals being killed. When I tell them about this bill, they will REFUSE to go back to vacation in the Big Bloody Betrayer of Horses State, much less purchase property there.

God bless all you good people, who argue from your hearts full of love--AND from your intelligence. Every one of your arguments has great merit: thank you for taking the time to comment, and to make known that you will not tolerate this abomination.

As of 5PM Mountain Time today (Monday, March 23), the Governor had not made a decision. We continue the fight tomorrow...

I think there's irony in you asking "How morally bankrupt must be the soul of a person who works as a killerbuyer?" when you consider that some of these guys do have a criminal record for things like DUI, domestic violence and battery. Yep, these guys are great examples of humanity.

The idea that a 20% bond will be incurred if somebody contests this horse slaughter plant is corrupt. Adding insult to injury is that the state of Montana is doing this for a Belgian owned business that has a record of not paying income taxes or fines for wastewater violations. Why is the state of Montana wanting to offer greedy foreigners such shelter while leaving their citizens out in the cold? Governor Schweitzer needs to be asked that question.

I was actually considering Montana as a vacation destination, but I may take my tourist dollars elsewhere. It's a shame that Montana's legislature isn't looking after their state's image which will be forever tainted if HB 418 is signed into law.

It's up to Governor Schweitzer to salvage his state's image by VETOING this bad bill.

I oppose horse slaughter, I see it as an unnecessary evil since this business is only about supplying a foreign demand for horsemeat. It has nothing to do with saving unwanted horses. You can read this article for further info: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-139.shtml

That being said I eat steak and do enjoy a good rodeo, I'm not an animal rights type. Most of those opposed to horse slaughter share this sentiment.

It is absolutely appalling that the state legislature was white washed by the pro-slaughter PR machine that has published false article after false article about the glut of abandoned horses. All of these articles are false. Yet, 2-3 articles were coming out online every day.

Horse slaughter is inhumane, brutal and cruel. The state of Montana has now become the horse slaughter capitol in the US.

Montana is a beautiful state but I will never go back to Montana again if the Governor signs this bill into law. The very idea that citizens cannot use the courts to hold the foreign-owned horse slaughter plants responsible and accountable for their actions is an outrage.

By the USDA statistics, the horses sent to slaughter were young (less than 10 years old) and sound. Slaughter plants don't want skinny neglected horses. They want well fed horses. Pregnant mares are prized by kill buyers because slaughter plants buy horses by the pound. How moral is it to send pregnant mares to slaughter?

What moral framework does the state of Montana use to justify the slaughter of an animal that is not raised for food in the US? Where is the moral underpinnings to slaughter an animal that helped build this country? Where is the moral framework to justify the slaughter of an animal that is used as therapy animals for soldiers that have come back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

The United States was built on the backs of horses. Horses are used as therapy animals to help soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric problems. Horses are used as therapy animals in prisons and for troubled teens.

We have formed a large, grass roots coalition of horse lovers here in Montana and have been fighting hard for over a month now. There were initially 4 of us who spoke in opposition in front of the House Ag Committee, less than a month later, we had over 30 people speak in opposition at the Senate Ag Committee. Unfortunately, it barely passed the Senate 27:23. We have not stopped fighting!! There are many of us in the state who are adamantly oppossed to this horror.

Many thanks to all of you who have helped our fight. We still have time, the Governor can still veto - with enough contact from all of YOU.

Let us not forget the other states as well. North Dakota's Senate votes tomorrow!!

Thank you for all of your support over the next 10 or so days until the Governor makes his decision. WE NEED YOUR HELP~~~

Most of the posts here clearly indicate the moral outrage at the actions of the Montana State legislature. What I find apalling, aside from Montana's gross disregard for the food inspection system, slapping the court system in the face and endorsing the cruel nature of horse slaughter is these folks are suppose to be Ag people; especially cattlemen.

Now how is it that these stockmen have to jump through all kinds of hoops to certify the production records of their recognized meat stock, and support the slaughter of horses for human consumption knowing full well US Horses have NO production records and are fed meds that clearly state, "not for use in horses intended for human consumption"? So it becomes clear, these people support a foreign owned business peddling contaminated meat for humans and a cruel, inhumane death for horses.

I'd say these folks have some SERIOUS issues with ethics, morality and conscience. At the same time, when the US Horsemeat eating consumer (Asia, EU, etc) eventually finds out what's in that meat and what hasn't been tested for, it will jeopardize our entire meat export markets. Remember, the US is still battling with some countries about "mad cow".

This article tells it all. If the Governor doesn't VETO this bill I just don't know. This bill will prevent those who care about horses from helping protect them from cruel and inhumane treatment that happens in the slaughter house. As proven in the USDA FOIA Report over 900 photos of missed placed bolts and numbers of other injuries and horses, not brain dead, suffering the torture of slaughter. Ignoring the First Amendment Rights of its Citizens to give foreign owners the power to do whatever they like is just insane and we can not allow this to happen. American's DON'T EAT HORSEMEAT! And NEVER will. This industry is a money looser.

Unfortunately, horse slaughter for human consumption is a BIG money winner for the foreign owned slaughterhouses, KBs....everyone else takes a loss with encouragement from the IRS. The biggest bath taken is by the horses in their own blood and the horses that are butchered alive before the next torture victim get's hoisted up. Absolutely disgusting. This isn't a business; it's a horse holocaust!

I did not realize it was Montana's intent to secede from the United States and set up their own system of laws while systematically ignoring the federal law system that they are still a part of. This bill should be challenged on the grounds that it attempts to keep the common citizen out of the system of justice by making it too costly to mount a challenge. But Montana until you figure out a way to completely support yourself without the use of United States citizens money you will indeed have to continue to abide by federal law which states they will not send inspectors to horse slaughterhouses and that uninspected meat is illegal and cannot be sold. There has been an outrage against products from China being tainted and causing illness and death. Horse meat is tainted as horses were never intended to enter the food chain and thus have been given medications that can cause sickness to those who regularly ingest them. How can you allow horse slaughter and then feign outrage over foreign goods?

It seems that they have done it again !!!!!!
We must all band together and fight across the land. Don't let the good old boys in Montana do this to our horse population. Please visit my rescue website - Adoption 911 at:
www.iamhealthyradio.com and watch the video I have there on an actual operational slaughter house. If you have any questions about this issue I'm sure your mind will be made up to end this travesty against our 4 legged companions. To all of those who approve this brutal behavior, I know that your souls are dark and your days are black & empty as you walk this earth devoted only to the $$$$$$$$$$.

I seriously doubt the fact Rep.Butcher explained
any stats about why the other slaughter plants closed in this Country in his discussion of why Montana NEEDS a slaughter plant.

This bill was on fast track and the people of Montana should be voting in regards to this.

What state wants to be the first to restart
horse slaughter in the U.S.????

Sure this county is in bad times, but it showed a lot of horse owners that they get hit with foreclosure as well. Dog/ Cat shelters are full but I am not aware that the midwestern states are slaughtering them.
People that breed horse need to be responsible. I wonder if they know how long a horse lives??
They may not, they breed and throw them away.

We all know who creates the overpopulated horse situation, and slaughter enable them to continue.

What does it take, to get the message thru?

Europe would not allow our horses to be slaughtered there under their guidelines, so why do they take our tainted meat?

Rep. Butcher should be ejected for being such a liar. What number of jobs can this processing plant bring that would help Montana to the extent of the money it will cost to clean up behind a slaughter facility.

My days of visiting Montana are done/gone.

Montana does not have humane laws and when I read them, they are such vague and weak laws.
Who would enforce? All I see is "the city or town"
yet no mention of what agency?

Seems Mr. Butcher hates animals or horses.
I have to scratch my head that after Paula Bacon of Kaufman has made her experience so well known, what sane person would vote for H.B. 418?

I trust the Governor is able to see thru
this mess and will make the right decision.

I am tired of making the foreign companies rich.
Our over population of horses is purely and simply due to greed of the AQHA/ and all breeders.

Like most everything is it going to have to wait until someone dies of tainted horse meat to stop
this.

The Horses always pay for human ignorance.

The bottom line is always: $$$$$$$$$$$
wonder how much money the taxpayers will dole out
after a slaughter plant is built in their state?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
While the foreigners laugh all the way to the bank.
They are related to AIG, right?
I agree slaughter of horses is not a business;
all avenues of slaughter are torture.

And abuse / neglect can happen within miles of a slaughter plant. People that get hit in bad times
still choose not to send their horses to slaughter,
They dont believe in the manner of slaughter.

Sen. Burns even stated he wanted slaughter plants to use a better method for the horses.
this subject can go on and on, and yet Montana
sent this bill thru on the high train to he**.

When will some of the politicians in this country ever learn the basic universal dynamics of Cause & Effect? That one action creates another and that there's a price to pay for personal greed & societal disregard for other. (Perhaps the current recession somehow looped around and avoided Montana?) I've come to believe that to be a Politician one must be completely "sociopathic" (where the rules do not apply). Well, it seems to be a Republican criteria anyway.

Perhaps if the people of Montana can look ahead and beyond the cream cheese schmear they are being fed and figure out that the fines and penalties surely to arise from the USDA Law breaches will come out of their own pockets, they might just change their tune. Because when they start crying and whining to their Governor, he will be impossible to reach for either he's used the money he made on this deal to wallpaper his vacation home in Costa Rica or his term will be up and he's Hi Ho Silver long gone. That's a mess his successor will have to clean up. sigh. I really wonder how these guys sleep at night. Perhaps the $3,000 a set 100% Pratesi Egyptian cotton sheets make it easier? (oh, and that doesn't include the bed skirts or duvet cover btw)

It seems this nation is spiraling down the drain and yet it is our elected officials who continually pull the plug. But they only do it when they've carefully created a safety trap for themselves and the hell with the rest of us. (and our animals, too).
It is challenging to teach our children tolerance, community efforts, honesty, respect and kindness for others when we continue to create a society that houses and promotes such degraded views, policies and means.
It is challenging when the fundamentals of decency are never incorporated into our Politicians way of thinking. That "doing the right thing" is for other folks, I've got loop holes to figure out. (God, I'm so clever he thinks as he drives his gas hog Escalade home from work.)
Let's face it, we may elect them but those that wind up winning get there through private resources - imagine if our "elected officials" were no longer permitted campaign funding? Without strings attached, the Puppet is dead. It's pretty obvious which guys are getting Schweitzer to tap dance his boots on this deal.
And many of these guys just like Schweitzer & Butcher are still some of those people that hold the puffed up view that America is still a "superpower". That China is just a country full of rickshaws, bicycles and people who dress alike. Arrogance and denial are common symptoms of a Sociopath.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm weary. It seems all I do is fight for right anymore. Engage in battles that are rooted in basic human decency issues. Horse slaughter, seal clubbing, wolf eradication, animal abuse issues, Polar Bear extinction, estuary diminishment, water contamination, oil drilling, landscape shrinkage from overdevelopment that builds out vs. up (god forbid we have to take a few stairs at WalMart), and having to privately fundraise for animal shelters, animal rescue, animal protection acts all of which should be funded by our government and municipal sources as these are the roots and essences of what create an uplifted and society that promote values moving us forward and inspires human evolvement. I do believe that Cavemen had a more functional and moral system. Has anyone noticed that the old campaign AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL is now just an archive? Lately, I can't think of one thing to brag about. It's all about damage control now and I'm not sure we're doing such a great job. Not when States like Montana refuse to be humbled.

I just called him. Left a message and said that my friends at the USDA are waiting with analysis pads, calculators and Pentels. I hope Montana can bear the cost. And if he needs an Interior Designer for his new vacation home, there are a few Republican ones I could recommend. He might think that the geographical distance from Washington DC to Montana means nobody's watching. Just know that we on the East Coast are wolves and you and your posse are pigeons. Hope you have a wonderful, big blue sky day out there.

I doubt it's effectiveness, but heck, some things just feel good to say

So thank you Ms. Alpha Mare for the passionate and informative article. I have come to depend on your thorough research and pith articles. I wish I were reading them in the NYTimes vs. Tbred, only in that the scope of your intelligence would be further reaching demographically speaking, no reflection on the quality of the Thoroughbred Times by any means.

Perhaps one day those cowboys will realize that it is the Mare that rules the herd, not the Stallion. Funny, but you'd think they'd have figured that out by now.

What can be said that has not already been said. Horse slaughter is barbaric torture and suffering for horses who are sentient animals. From the terrible abuse in the way they are transported to the horrific slaughtering of them it immense pain and suffering for them. And from all the others aspects of drug residue in the meat, the environmental impact of a slaughter plant with the blood in the water, the rotting carcasses and horrible smell. It all just is wrong. We need to act like intelligent human beings and take better care and responsibility of animals. Slaughter is not the answer. The wild mustang herds need better management, not taken off the land, corraled and then sent to slaughter. We have someone who loves the mustangs and wants to set up a sanctuary for them. Why will the government NOT work with Madeleine Pickens? We need to protect what is wild and free or there will be no wild and free. Only selfish, greedy people who take and do what they want and run roughshod over anyone or anything that does not profit them. I know there are many in Montana that are against slaughter and that it is a few who want this. I pray the good would prevail and the Gov.would take a stand for the horses.

Excellent article! The comments here have also been right on. I choose to believe for now that as difficult as it may be for the Governor, that he will in fact do the right thing... he will veto this bill. Will he be unpopular with reps like Butcher? Absolutely! But who in history will be remembered? Not Butcher, unless this bill is passed. Why would any Governor want to be associated with something that the vast majority of American's not only don't want, but find totally repulsive? The Governor knows of what happened in Kaufman,Texas. He can not sign this bill, knowing what it does to the environment and the financial devistation a horse slaughter plant will cause in his state. It is almost always very difficult to do the right thing, the road less traveled, but the rewards are far greater. If he truly is a leader for the people, he will consider the wishes of the many over the wants of a few.

Please remember that animals are just as conscious as we are. It has been demonstrated over and over again to me. They are just built differently therefore respond in a way that we do not. They are compassionate conscious and fully aware beings. To slaughter them is no different to the death camps in Aushwitz. They know whats coming, This is why every now and then you hear of a cow escaping and running down a street in Queens or Brooklyn. Slaughter is so hidden, that people are shocked. How did it get there. It got there because it had to survive. Please be compassionate. Please.

I wish to add one more fact. The USDA statistics showed that 92.2% of the horses sent to slaughter were young (less than 10 years old) and sound.

Governor Schweitzer: I hope you read this fact and remember that Montana will not be slaughtering old and infirmed horses because kill buyers won't make money from the old and infirmed horses. Montana will be slaughtering young and sound horses because kill buyers make the most profit from selling these horses and pregnant mares to the horse slaughter house.

Ah, Scott...somehow, we knew you'd be back. In response to your question, the answer is NONE. I have no horses of any breed--it's not-yet in my budget to buy a horse. When it's possible, I will, indeed, start buying as many OTTBs and other breeds as possible. And I have never--EVER--brought any foals "...into this world," as you said.

So...right back atcha, Scott: how many foals have YOU "...brought into this world" in the last five years? And how many horses have you rescued?

Your pugnacious response; your unmerited anger at people you've never met and your accusations--all of which are untrue, that is, they're lies--fall on deaf ears around here, Scott. The more rage you display, the less people will pay attention to you. No one is taking you seriously, because you specialize in misplaced anger at people you don't know.

If you want to vent some rage, please do so in the general direction of the killerbuyers and politicians who want to re-institute slaughter.

Otherwise...Scott...your argument holds no water, because all your arguments are based on things that you make up about people you don't know.

Hello Scott,
Happy to answer your question!
I am a private rescue and have had 4 OTTB's here since October, wonderful horses who were rescued from a kill pen, 3 of the 4 are ONLY 5 YEARS OLD!
The 3 I just mentioned have been adopted by a family who treats them like the royalty they are.
As far as breeding foals, the answer is never. Not because my 17 year old daughter would not just LOVE to raise one, but because irresponsible breeding is the problem, along with people wanting to make big bucks off the lives of beings they can not even begin to understand.
Thanks so much for your question.

To Scott-I have 6 horses, two of those I rescued from a feedlot in Yakima WA. One was a two year old filly and the other a 12 year old trained gelding. In the last five years one foal was born at my house. I had bought his mom pregant in January 2004 and he was born that May. She is a registered quarter horse. I have two mares now. her and the rescue, but I will not breed either. There are too many good horses that need homes. I don't buy or breed dogs either. Too many irresponsible people who do not spay or neuter their pets and over 4 million cats and dogs are put to sleep every year. We as humans are intelligent people and can figure this out and act responsibly and breed responsibly and treat animals humanely.

Hi, Scott and Everyone,
Scott--I must begin with an apology. You asked a question, and I became defensive because of our previous back-and-forths on other pages here at HRI. It may very well be that you weren't being aggressive, perhaps you really were just asking the question.

So I apologize if I misread your intentions.

Now...everyone who's written--good souls, all--care about horses and their welfare. Obviously, some are people who own horses, many have rescued them, saved their lives. Others, like me, cannot at this time own any horses--but this does not mean that we love them any less. We all do what we can, with the resources we have at-hand.

So let's continue the dialogue--I've seen so many wonderful responses here, so many logical responses to this horrible problem. Let's keep on fighting the slaughter machine--we CAN win this fight, by using our voices, hearts and hands.

To all those who answered Scott: Thank you for providing supporting data for the USDA statistics on horses sent to slaughter. That is, 92.2% of the horses are under 10 years old and sound.

I thought I would give you the extraordinary and illuminating statement by a kill buyer:

"I provide a service. People are revolted when I tell them I process (slaughter) horses for a living, but without me there would be thousands of starving horses living on our streets.

With horses I provide a service. I mop up. I clean up the mess left by morons who just have to breed their mare. A few years later no one wants the baby anymore, so I come in to mop up. How come you never write about those morons who just have to breed their mare? Every spring I send dozens of mares and new foals to the meat plant. And every spring there are idiots breeding more babies. The only way to do right for horses is to stop breeding them."

If a kill buyer can figure out where the problem is, everyone can.

Horse slaughter breeds irresponsible behavior. Horse slaughter has not, does not and will not ever reduce the number of so-called unwanted horses because as Manny the horse killer says there will always be morons who just have to breed their mares.

Anyone who condones and/or supports horse slaughter should witness the slaughter of a pregnant mare. It is human cruelty at its best.

No foals, two thoroughbreds, one standardbred.
My point is people like Alpha Mare just have no experiance or skin in the game and raise issues and vent without any real world experiance. Spend some of your own resources and quit going off on how others should spend theirs. And quit killing a needed industry.

Scott-If you were walking down the street and you saw a father beating the crap out of child would you have to be a father to stop him? Yes, I can see where you are coming from, someone saying things about something they you think they don;t know anything about because she hasn't walked in a horsewoman's shoes. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. What about all the others that posted here that have horses? What about what they said? They know the cost of feed, vaccinations, trimmings, and getting up at 5:30am to feed so they can get commute an hour and get to work on time. They say slaughter is NOT a needed industry. They say it is cruel an inhumane and is happening to horses TODAY. Would you send one of your horses to slaughter, knowing they would be crammed on a low ceiling, slippery floored truck, and they went that way to a slaughter house here, to a place that lines them up, barely gets them immobile so they can't fight and slit their throats and then be butchered alive? Doesn't your horse deserve to die well, to be put down by the vet when it is time? Don't you want to be there for your horse when that happens? Isn't that the right thing to do with an animal, your animal, you rode or raced or showed?

Scott,
I tried to be civil and answer your question. I am now offended at your most recent statement because even though Alpha Mare has no horses of her own, rescued or otherwise, we are alike, (she is just a better writer)and how do you know she does not support horses rescued or donate in some other way??
I am like her and she like me as I agree with everything she has written here! I spend almost all of my resources caring for these horses, I do have experience dealing with kill buyers, irresponsible breeders and auction houses yet she and I are still alike because we both know right from wrong, truth from lies, cruely and abuse we also recognize easily! I take care of the horses of irresponsible owners. This is not a needed industry except by irresponsible people who refuse to live up to their commitments! Having children is a commitment, having horses is a commitment, having a gerbil is a commitment. Anything that requires our assistance for their care is a commitment, some people just can't handle acting in a responsible manner and we should not reward them nor bail them out with an easy fix like slaughter allowing them to continue on being irresponsible in ownership, breeding and likely many other areas of their lives! It is high time that people got a clue and learn to be responsible. Sad we have to have laws to make people do what they should already be doing!

One more thing Scott, as I am now feeling you may have skirted the issue that you brought up. You currently have no foals. But how many have you caused to be in this world in your lifetime? For me, the answer is NONE!

Tiffanie, Pat and Ann,
Thank you so much for your additional comments.

Scott,
I must retract my apology. You lurk around this website, and--in case others reading this are not aware--Scott has gotten into verbal wars on this 'site, shamefully, with several people whom he's never met. The reason for these mini-wars is that, apparently Scott is the only person on Earth who has any right to an opinion about anything in the equine world--and the rest of us are idiots or charlatans. Scott, I don't know why you're so contentious, but you are. You seem to be a very sad man.

I've seen this child-like behavior of yours in the past, in other blogs here at HRI. You attack people, humans you do not know, and skirt the issues at hand.

I suspect that you don't care about the issues--or the horses--but just plain like "a good fight." There are many people in the world who, for whatever reason, enjoy fighting. I believe that you are one of those people, Scott, for you come here looking for others to verbally assault.

Now, to the argument that, because I don't own horses I have no right to an opinion--I'm sorry, Scott, but that's idiotic. The most ridiculous argument "in favor" of anything (in this case, slaughter) that I have ever heard. I have no children, either, and--as Pat so eloquently pointed out--if I saw a child being beaten by her Father--should I wait until I become pregnant and give birth before I have the right to call the police, or to step right in-between the child and the beater?

Obviously, many people call the police or call attention to something that is horribly wrong, people who have no "intimate" knowledge of the subject. I do not need to become a Mother to know that child abuse is wrong--and to intervene, however possible.

I do not need to own a diamond necklace to know that stealing one if wrong.

You know NOTHING about me or anyone else here, Scott. None of us owe you an explanation about our lives. You think that I have no experience with horses--I began riding my cousins' Quarter Horses when I was four years old, Scott. (And for your information--my cousins were very, very poor. Tenant dairy farmers. Painfully poor. But their horses and cows were taken care of regardless of how much money they had or didn't have. They would never--and did never--give up a horse to a killerbuyer when money got tight. They sacrificed all they had for their animals--and THAT is the example with which I grew up, Scott--dirt-poor, yet willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary to make sure that no horse fell through the cracks. No animal on my cousin's farm--or in my childhood household--ever suffered because of finances.)

My intimate involvement with horses began 49 years ago, Scott. Riding; tacking; mucking; comforting; watching at the track; writing and volunteering, or giving money to--more rescue and retirement groups than you can ever know.

Or about which you NEED to know: it is NONE of your business to know which rescue and retirement organizations have benefited from my money, my time and my talents. Forty-nine years of working with, around and on behalf-of...horses. How about YOU, Scott? How many years of volunteering your formidable talents to the cause of rescue and retirement?

How dare you come here and assume things about people you do not know. And then you drag in your ridiculous logic, that, unless one owns a horse--one has no right to an opinion about horse slaughter.

I'm not Black, either, but I know that slavery in America was wrong, and racism just as evil.

I suppose that, because Madeleine Pickens has never lived under a tree in the desert, she has no right to create a sanctuary for the Wild Horses of Nevada? Would you like to be the one who informs Mrs. Pickens of your judgment, based on your ridiculous criteria?

Scott, your argument is false on its face. As a logical argument--it's not an argument. How do we know that it's a false argument? Because it can be reduced down to the argument that, since none of us ARE horses, ourselves--we have no right to an opinion on the subject.

And that, of course, is the test that the argument is false at the beginning--because, when reduced down to its most-minute place of argumentation--it sounds profoundly stupid, and impractical. We do not have to BE horses in order to speak on their behalf, or care for them.

Horses cannot speak for themselves: most humans are too stupid to understand the Horse language. Horses have no thumbs--so they can't pick up the phone and call Governor Schweitzer.

I don't need to be a dolphin in order to write about dolphins, Scott. I will continue the campaign against horse slaughter until it has become a non-issue.

None of us on this 'site need to prove anything to you. We don't need to be horse owners to have valid opinions about horse slaughter, Scott. According to your profound non-logic, only horses themselves have a valid opinion.

Unfortunately, the State Senate of Montana is comprised of humans, not horses--so the horses need people like us--even me, a non-horse-owner--to speak up for them. When I see a wrong transpiring, a crime being committed--I must intervene. It's part of human DNA to intervene on behalf of those who are weaker.

I am so sick of your insults, Scott--you've done this a lot on this 'site, and I'm sick of it. Your arguments are incorrect, and falsely argued. So you must stick to verbally assaulting the lives of those who disagree with you--and that's no argument, at all.

Scott--let's try to wrap-up this opinion session. The thing is--that this column which I wrote is a rallying cry to get people to care about the Montana issue.

People can either agree with me or disagree--I really don't care.

But the Comments space is for those who want to discuss the issue--not hurl insults at people they don't know. That's the wrong use of the space.

Let's stick to the topic: Montana/horse slaughter.

No arguing back-and-forth about the validity of anyone else's argument. That's a waste of CyberSpace. Henceforth, the only comments that will be allowed here are those about the topic, Montana/horse slaughter. Any other comments--especially those that snidely or outright angrily insult other people--I will ask the webmaster to remove from the 'site.

The reason for this edict is not that I don't welcome opposing positions--I do. Opinions are one thing--insulting me in particular or making a sweeping gesture about everyone else--cannot be tolerated--for one reason, and one reason, alone. It distracts from the REAL issue, that of convincing Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer not to allow a new horse slaughterhouse to be built in Montana. THAT is the purpose of this column--not a war of words about personal attributes.

This column, on this page, is about Montana/horse slaughter. To discuss anything else, including the merit or lack thereof of someone else's opinion is not only distracting--it's taking attention away from the urgency of this situation in Montana.

And I will not tolerate that here. We're here to discuss Montana and horse slaughter issues related to Governor Schweitzer's decision--or we're not here.

BRAVO!!!
Thank you for all you do for the horses!
They need us and they need the Governor to not let the pro's bully him into signing this when he has to know it is so very wrong!
I just pray he is strong of character and will do what is right and VETO THIS BILL!

It you think the horse slaughter industry is needed, then you have not educated yourself on the topic.

Here is a favorite comment from pro-slaughter:

â€śThe surplus (of horses) threatens to worsen if Congress passes a bill to ban the selling of unwanted horses to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.â€ť

Response: The possible â€śsurplusâ€ť of horses warrants comment. A ban on horse slaughter would result in an increased number of unwanted horses. This hypothesis can be tested because one of the horse slaughterhouse that operated in DeKalb Illinois (prior to its closure by the Illinois legislature) was burned to the ground on Easter Sunday, 2002. This was Cavel.

In 2001, the three US plants combined slaughtered 56,332 horses but with Cavel out of operation for eight months of 2002, the number of horses slaughtered decreased to 42,312. Because the closest plant was in Texas (almost 1,000 miles away), â€śunwantedâ€ť horses from Illinois would be less appealing to kill buyers because these horses would have to be transported to Mexico, Canada or Texas.

While there are claims that these horses did go to one of these places, the export numbers obtained from the USDA by John Holland do not support this claim (http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-123.shtml). Therefore, the â€śunwantedâ€ť horse theory is yet another fabrication to falsely justify the need for horse slaughter.

â€śBreeders and ranchers say such a move by Congress to ban horse slaughter would destroy an important export market they need to stay afloat.â€ť

Response: This is another flagrant attempt to persuade the public for the dire need of slaughter by invoking desperation of hard working Americans who are trying to make a living. However, this statement is in contrast to an article written by Mateusz Perkowski (http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=619&ArticleID=40527&TM=23047.35) where it is stated: â€śIt is true that many horses headed for slaughter are outwardly healthy, but many have temperamental problems or become lame only when subjected to weight, Tom Lenz said.

Otherwise, it wouldn't make economic sense for owners to sell them for slaughter, given the much lower selling price for meat horses, he said. Nobody is raising horses in this country to be processed. ... These are just discarded horses," said Lenz. "If there were no longer horses being discarded, there would be no horse slaughter in this country." So, which statement reflects the truth? The statement where horse slaughter keeps the â€śranchers and breeders afloatâ€ť or that it doesnâ€™t â€śmake economic sense for owners to sell them for slaughter, given the much lower selling price for meat horsesâ€ť????

Of course, this statement was made before the economic recession/depression that exists in this country today. It seems clear that one can easily come to the conclusion that pro-slaughter is using the economic downturn to advance their cause to open a horse slaughter house in the US.

Scott,
Here is one of my very favorite lines from the pro-slaughter camp:

â€śthe shutdown of slaughter houses has led to stray (abandoned) horses showing up in higher numbers on public land and private property.â€ť

Response: A published study of the issue of horse abandonment found only a few states where stray horses are at all common, including Arizona and Wyoming. In Arizona the number of stray horses for 2007 was 8% above its three year average, while in Wyoming it decreased by 14% over the previous year. In these few states, horses whose owners cannot be determined are sent to auction. They are not warehoused. In other states, including the well publicized Kentucky, Oregon and Florida stories, there were no abandoned horses found. While there has been an alarming increase in the number of such stories, there has been no overall increase in the number of abandoned horses.

The article quotes one person (presumably Ramsey, who represents the National Cattlemenâ€™s Beef Association) stating:
There are other things that can be done with government land other than maintain unwanted horses.â€ť

People talk about the cost to feed a horse per year and the fact that it doesnâ€™t make sense to then sell it for $300 for slaughter. However, one could make the argument that if breeders want to continue to breed their horses, then they will have to â€śdispose of the inventoryâ€ť so they donâ€™t have to continue to care for horses that donâ€™t sell that year. In this way, they can make a fresh start the following year and start the process all over again.

If you are interested in acquiring knowledge on the topic, Google John Holland and read "Deleting the fiction." It is a pdf file so you need Adobe reader to open it. I also agree that you should read the information on: www.kaufmanzoning.net. While there, you need to look at the over 900 pages of photos of hard core horse abuse obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). These photos were taken by USDA employees when horses were brought to the slaughter houses in Texas.

You should also read up on the captive bolt and the testimony given before Congress by a USDA vet who said that this method to euthanize a horse at the slaughter plant was inhumane.

And, please, don't give us the "new" spin by pro-slaughter that they have improved things so that horses will not be mistreated and the captive bolt will work effectively now. Horse slaughter has been going on for years and pro-slaughter has obviously not cared about the ongoing horse abuse until the anti-slaughter movement has stepped in to convince Congress to put an end to this horrific and disgusting practice.

The inhumane euthanasia is currently ongoing in Canada and was recently exposed. This is the same company that operated the plants in the US.

So sick and tired of the pro-slaughter propaganda PR campaign that gets their articles on abandoned horses published by newspapers. The cited articles have not been completely investigated currently but they are being tracked down. If you take the time to read these articles carefully and call the Sheriff's offices, what is the maximum number of abandoned horses today? 30 horses in a state? In an economic recession/depression whereby 600,000 jobs are being lost per month, record home foreclosures and other types of animals being abandoned (not just horses), what do these numbers REALLY mean? Conclusion: It is the economy.

Again, pro-slaughter is trying to take advantage of the economic downturn to bring back the horse slaughter plants.

Imagine how many responsible horse owners could be helped by the pro-slaughter organizations if the money were spent on them instead of the pro-slaughter lobbyists.

I would love the opportunity to chat with you regarding one of your artciles. Iâ€™m hoping you can help me. I came across an article dated September 26, 2008 regarding horse slaughter. In this article, you stated:

â€śEvery day, horses, burros and donkeys are crammed into trucks, hauled across the border where theyâ€™re shot in the face--stunned a â€śpenetrating captive boltâ€ť-- until their necks are slit while their hearts still beat. They then are strung up by one hoof until they bleed out.â€ť

Iâ€™m most interested that it was stated donkeys are being slaughtered as well, as this is a claim I am trying to prove. It seems a lot of organizations feel this is the case, but Iâ€™m wondering if Horse Race Insider has any information to back this claim up.

so much estrogen(er,emotion)Lets throw some
logic into this. How many of you have real
life experience with dangerous or bad minded
horses? Whether this was genetic or man made,
it is often impossible to work with, or
work around. Why can't we open USDA inspected
and governed horse slaughter plants to feed
the incarcerated, and the worlds protein starved
population. Lets get real, we are so far removed from using them as real modes of transportation, they have been romanticized and mythologized beyond my comprehension. Lets talk about the proliferation of feral horses. How about the influx of Premarin mares into the US? How about Mrs. Pickens "late to the party" realization that her race horses were sent off for slaughter after their tax write-off benefits were over? Her quest is not completely pure. She wants the government to pay her, as well as charge admission to see the horses breeding more horses the taxpayer has to take care of. Give me
your addresses, I will find lots of horses for
you to take care of.

Lead Cow-What a typical male comment, with no emotion or no caring. There are not 100,000 dangerous or bad minded horses to slaughter every 10 years, so where are you going to get them? From people who irresoonsibly crank out the foals. Got a horse uterus use it mentality. When are breeders going to get a clue? Prices are down. You want to keep breeding when the market is in the gutter and no place for horses to go? Oh, I forgot...there is a place that some think is OK. Cram them on a double decker truck built for a short cow, scared out of their minds and ship them off to a barbaic death of being butchered alive. Slaughter houses right here in America are just as bad as Mexico or Canada. Read the 900 page USDA report on it. And Lead Cow-what is wrong with beef? YOu got something against beef? I thought it was what's for di9nner? Horse meat DOES NOT go to feed third world starving countries. It is a delicacy for the rich. And I cannot imagine inmates eating the very horses that they are being taught to ride and train to try to learn compassion and having a relationship with a living creature is a good idea. You are full of BS. You have no clue what horse slaughter for human consumpion is all about. It is money, dollars, dinero, argent, geld, $. Get it? It is not humane. Tt is not needed. It is not a hot flash. It is greed at a very evil core of some men for nothing more than selling their soul for a few pieces of silver while they abuse animals. Your govenor of Montana has integrity. He vetoed the bill as written and cut out all the "pretty protections" that horse killers wanted. You can't have it both ways, slaughter horses for meat like the other animals you call livestock and not have the same regulations and have to obey Montana law. I think once you find out what horse slaughter will being into Montana you will be sorry.

Ah, Pat Donley. Love you. You take no prisoners, you tell the truth about horse slaughter. I wish I knew you in person, outside this Cyberarena.

Ah, "Lead Cow." Methinks that you are "Scott," traveling in cognito. I really loved the misogynistic spin you put on our stand against horse slaughter--how fabulously naive of you to attribute thousands of years of mythology and association with horses as being a female thing! Your ignorance blesses me, for, in showing the ignorance--you make clear the truth.

'Tis not I--nor Pat, nor any of the other anti-slaughter people herein--who have mythologized the horse. That is a funny little contraption that Karl Jung called the Collective Unconscious. The Horse has been an archetype for millennia. It's not a human construct, Scott (er, "Lead Cow")--it's a spiritual connection which was neither created NOR can be erased by your pseudo-logical, fake argumentation.

Oh, and about your assumption that we're all operating on too-much estrogen? Please tell Willie Nelson, to his face, that his passionate love for horses and anti-slaughter stance is because he packs too much estrogen. I'm sure he'd be amused by the profound depth of your silly, testosterone-driven accusation.

See? The chauvinism can run both ways: I may be a misandrist. I'm not, I don't hate men. And I surely won't write--and actually believe--that your silly, puerile arguments spew forth because you're packin' too much testosterone.

Ah, this is almost fun. If it wasn't that this is taking time and energy away from the topic-at-hand, that of ending horse slaughter--I could go at it with you all day. I love a good verbal jaust, "Lead Cow." But it takes me away from my real mission--and besides--I'd win.

You say: "How many of you have real
life experience with dangerous or bad minded
horses?"

Answer: several. Call the vet and have them humanely euthanized. But....it is unfortunate that many of these animals were abused by bad humans. Bad humans should NEVER be allowed to own horses.

Will you admit on this web site that you know people who abuse their horses with names and addresses? We have investigators in place and want to hear from people like you who obviously have experience in this area.

You say: "Why can't we open USDA inspected
and governed horse slaughter plants to feed
the incarcerated, and the worlds protein starved
population."

Answer: You must be kidding, have your head in the sand or worse yet, don't read. Horse meat goes for $20-40 a pound overseas. Do you really think that there are states in this country that would buy horse meat for prisoners? You make everyone laugh AT you for your ignorance.

Oh yes. The protein starved population? Are you talking about third world countries? Never could they afford to buy horse meat at $20-40 a pound. Again, your ignorance is OUTSTANDING.

You say: "ets get real, we are so far removed from using them as real modes of transportation, they have been romanticized and mythologized beyond my comprehension."

Response: Beyond your comprehension is the operating phrase in this statement. Unfortunately, your level of comprehension is poor at best.

You say: "he wants the government to pay her, as well as charge admission to see the horses breeding more horses the taxpayer has to take care of."

One more thing that you may not know. Horse killers don't take "bad-minded and dangerous" horses. Do you know why? Because of liability issues at the horse slaughter plant. The foreign-owned horse slaughter plants don't want their workers getting injured or they may sue the company.

Responsibility and accountability of horse owners and breeders need to discussed by every state legislative body in the US. Laws must be put into place to stop overbreeding and end the backyard breeding.

Every state needs to set fees for anyone who wants to breed their mares. Stiff fees. These fees can be used to hire and train Animal Control personnel. Fees can be used to care for horses if their owners don't plan for proper care of pregnant mares and stallions and the horses need to be seized. Horse owners need to be told in writing that if they can't care for their horses properly, they need to call Animal Control and have their horses removed BEFORE they lose weight. If owners don't comply, the horses are seized and the fees used to care for horses. Owners whose horses are seized need to do community service by working for FREE at a horse rescue so that they learn how to properly care for horses. The length of time is determined by each state legislature.

State legislators need to put in place strict animal cruelty laws and they must be enforced.

State legislators need to make horse abandonment a CRIME just like Oregon did.

Responsible horse ownership needs to be reinforced in every person who wants to own a horse. Every state needs to have a sufficient number of Animal Control personnel so they can make unannounced visits and talk with horse owners about how things are going. If horse owners fall on hard times because they lose their job or an economic recession etc, the fees can be used to buy hay and grain to support their horses until they are back on their feet again.

This is not rocket science. State legislators need to inform their consitutents that they will NOT tolerate irresponsible horse ownership.

Personal responsibility and accountability are the two essential qualities that are in people who sell their horses to slaughter. As long as these people have the slaughter pipeline available, they don't have to be held accountable for their irresponsible behavior.

Sorry, the last paragraph should read: Personal responsibility and accountability are the two essential qualities that are missing in people who sell their horses to slaughter. As long as these people have the slaughter pipeline available, they don't have to be held accountable for their irresponsible behavior.

While we are on the topic of horse slaughter, our Canadian colleagues reported that some of the heads of horses they inspected did NOT have a captive bolt hole in them. So, Pat Donley is absolutely CORRECT when she says that horses are butchered ALIVE at these disgusting plants. Not to mention the fact that the captive bolt which was invented for cows only stuns horses and it is common for horses to wake up to someone slitting their throat.

Food safety issues and the terrific investigation showing that some horses did not have a captive bolt hole, dumping horse blood in the nearby river illegally are some of the reasons why Natural Valley, the horse slaughter plant in Canada, went BANKRUPT. GOOD RIDDANCE!

While we are on the topic of horse slaughter, our Canadian colleagues reported that some of the heads of horses they inspected did NOT have a captive bolt hole in them. So, Pat Donley is absolutely CORRECT when she says that horses are butchered ALIVE at these disgusting plants. Not to mention the fact that the captive bolt which was invented for cows only stuns horses and it is common for horses to wake up to someone slitting their throat.

Food safety issues and the terrific investigation showing that some horses heads did not have a captive bolt hole, dumping horse blood in the nearby river illegally are some of the reasons why Natural Valley, the horse slaughter plant in Canada, went BANKRUPT. GOOD RIDDANCE!

Same ole same ole with this industry. They ignore and defy laws because they are so bloody GREEDY. Kill buyers are of the same ilk. GREEDY. Nothin' like makin' a fast buck. Who cares about horse welfare? Who cares about humane treatment of horses just as long as they get their money?

Lead Cow: How much do horse killers make off of irresponsible breeders? Horse killer Manny makes $5,000 a week. He is building his third mansion. It even has a home theater.

I listened to the Howling Ridge Blog radio broadcast last night. The longer I am in this fight, and the more things I find out, the worse it gets. Sinikka and Twyla from the Canadian Coalition Against Slaughter were guests. These two have been IN the Canadian slaughter houses. They have been through the gut piles. They have found more and more horse heads with NO bullet holes or captive bolt marks. They were asked what that means? It means they were not even temporarily stunned. They found small internal organs that were identified as less than a week old. They are killing babies. And this totally makes me sick. The men in the new facility in Bovary take off their shirts to kill horses. They LIKE the blood splattered on them. They have a glass catwalk over the killing area so the kill truckers and everyone can WATCH! My God, that is HELL. They talked to the killers in the slaughter houses and overheard conversations and they REVEL in what they do, hurting and stabbing and killing horses. They LIKE it. Those horse killers are not just soulless deadened beings, they are sick and demented. How can they be any more debase? I never want to wish anything bad on any one but I hope somehow, somewhere those men have to pay for what they have done to knowingly, intentionally and happily enjoying torturing and hurting defenseless horses. The last thing that really hurt me is when they told of the horses being unloaded. They were not wild and untrained, they were trusting, willing, and easy to handle. They stand for days in deep filth waiting their turn, without food or water. When the blood soaked killers would walk by their pen the horses in there would all come over to them, reaching out, expecting to be treated fairly and kindly because that is what they have had from people in their past. What a sad and huge betrayal for those animals to be there. This is unimaginable and incomprehensible.
www.blogtalkradio.com/Howling_Ridge_Radio

Is this what we really want in Montana? Is this how we, as civilized human beings want to treat animals? And don't say it won't be like that here. Read the book that tells from the mouths of the Cavel workers. Their boss told them he needed more meat so they go out into the community, to the little farms and steal horses at night and then take them back to the slaughter house. They had to work fast to get it done while the plant is closed so they would start cutting them up before they were bled out. They said the horses are long so their noses hang in the container of blood under them and they suffocate in it. Do you want that here in the US? Do you want your horse stolen and butchered alive in the middle of the night because the boss needs more meat? It won't be regulated or humane because it wasn't before. Any one who can do these things to horses are capable of doing anything, anything.

Four horses taken from boarding pasture by landowner's father and sold to a horse dealer. Later landowner allegedly told sheriff's department horses had been abandoned. Owner's brother had been checking on horses regularly and landowner was aware of this. Clark county MO and Washington county IA have been notified. Sale barn is Kalona IA, but could have been sold between Iowa, Illinois or Missouri at auction or privately. Dealer will not cooperate with us to find these horses.

Big Mare is arthritic and on supplements ... Owner is afraid she will be sent to slaughter!

Governor Schweitzer goes to Derby, leaves slaughter bill to become law

CHICAGO, (EWA) - On Friday, May 1st, Governor Brian Schweitzer packed up and left his office to head for the Kentucky Derby. On his desk, he left HB 418, a bill designed to encourage the building of a horse slaughter plant in Montana! The bill was designed to lure a horse slaughter plant to Montana by preventing Montana citizens from challenging such a facility in the state courts without first posting a bond equal to 20% of the facilityâ€™s cost. Without his veto, the bill became law.
The Governor had initially issued an amendatory veto of the bill, pointing out that it was almost certainly unconstitutional, but the legislature had sent it back to him without his suggested amendments. The billâ€™s sponsor, Ed Butcher, was quick to praise the Governorâ€™s act of surrender.
In an interview published in The Horse, Butcher dismissed the idea that his bill was unconstitutional. He went on to explain his misguided belief that the role of the courts is more like that of movie critics, saying, "Courts have the right to offer an opinion about legislation--they do not have the right to make law. That's the legislature's job."
Butcher has said these safeguards [taking away the access of citizens to the courts] were needed to avoid the types of legal appeals that shuttered the country's last horse slaughterhouses in Illinois and Texas in 2007.

In an earlier article â€śShowdown at Horse Slaughter Passâ€ť, EWAâ€™s John Holland used the metaphor that Butcher was trying to â€śtie the citizens of Montana to the tracksâ€ť, and pondered whether the Governor would save the day. But alas, the Governor had his mind on the Kentucky Derby and left the citizens to their fate. Luckily, Butcherâ€™s bill ties them to the wrong tracks.
None of the three US horse slaughter plants was ever closed through such a law suit. This is not to say they should not have been, but they werenâ€™t. The Dallas Crown plant was ordered closed by the Kaufman Texas Board of Adjustments (not a private suit), but they managed to delay even that order in the courts until they were eventually closed under a long un-enforced 1949 state law.
In irony piled upon irony, that 1949 law had originally been pushed by cattlemen to prevent horse meat from competing with beef. Believing that the movement to stop horse slaughter is part of a â€śvegan agendaâ€ť, cattlemen were among the strongest proponents of HB 418!
And the Illinois plant, despite piling up continuous fines for the last three years of their operation, was never closed for such offenses. They were instead closed under a new Illinois law banning horse slaughter. A bill to reverse that law recently failed in the Illinois legislature and was withdrawn by its sponsor.
The Belgian Velda Corporationâ€™s Natural Meats plant in Saskatchewan, Canada is the most probable target of Butcherâ€™s overtures. Their operating license was suspended in December over unspecified health concerns by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, but this action would not have been relevant to the Butcher bill either. After a temporary reinstatement, the plant closed permanently in February.
And of course, no slaughter plant can currently slaughter horses in the US for human consumption because Congress removed funding for the required USDA ante-mortem inspections. The billâ€™s only real impact may be the statement it makes about Montana, its legislature and its governor.
But in a final irony, Schweitzer pointed to one of the fundamental injustices of horse slaughter by going to the Kentucky Derby as he announced to the world that Montana wants to become the countryâ€™s new abattoir. According to a study done for the American Horse Council, American horses generate about $141 Billion dollars a year in direct and indirect revenue through thousands of events like the Kentucky Derby. The slaughter industry pays about $40 Million a year to ship these athletes, companions and entertainers to an inhumane end. Put another way, after all they do for us; we sell our horses to slaughter for just 3 cents of every $100 they earn.

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